After I blogged about the first leg of my Cambodian adventures in Siem Reap last week, I thought I'd dish up part two today, as it's Monday morning and we all need a start of the week pick-me-up.
I left off last time with me aboard a little plane skimming through the clouds, heading towards the second part of my trip - some hardcore beaching. Siem Reap was an incredible blast of culture - four days starting with pre-sunrise wake-up calls and ending with late night cocktails with plenty of clambering through crumbling temples Lara Croft style in between. An amazing start to the trip but one which had left me in desperate need of a little R&R. And what better place to swim, sun and sip cocktails than a beautiful resort on a private island in the middle of the Gulf of Thailand.
We used boutique travel company, Lightfoot Travel, to book the trip and had told them that we wanted somewhere completely indulgent where we could totally unwind. But even in our wildest dreams, we hadn't imagined Song Saa...
After we touched down at Sihanoukville, we zipped through the airport, hopped into a car and barrelled towards the port where our carriage to Song Saa - a little white speedboat - lay waiting. Forty minutes later, we were stepping off the boat onto a wooden jetty that snaked towards a little shady spot complete with tree trunk stools and a cast of smiling staff bearing trays of delicious green juice.
As we slurped down our juices, we were casually informed that we should set our watches forward one hour to Song Saa time. Yup, that's right, Song Saa has it's own timezone, created so that you get an extra hour to soak up the sun. It was about this point that we realised we'd landed in a parallel Utopian universe.
Clocks duly reset, it was time to skip along the talcum powder beach towards our home for the next few days - a stilted wooden hut hovering over the glittering, turquoise water. We had high hopes that the wooden doors would swing open to reveal a little slice of heaven, but nothing could prepare us for quite how incredibly awesome the room would be. From the beautiful lantern-lit bathroom...
... featuring a bath with the ultimate view...
... and not one, not two, but three showers, two of which were outdoor and overwater with pretty great views too...
... each stocked with an array of Aesop goodies and a pair of cloud-soft dressing gowns (which in case you're interested in snuggling up in one yourself, are Ploh Plush robes - get one on your Christmas list pronto).
And we haven't even got to the bedroom yet, a huge rustic-luxe room wrapped around an enormous four-poster bed.
This is the sort of bed you'd never leave if it wasn't for the fact that the first thing you see when you open your eyes in the morning is a vast expanse of blues that has you hopping out of bed faster than you can say "morning dip".
Beyond the hyper-luxe bathroom and bed, the room is packed with thoughtful, quirky features - furniture made from upcycled fishing boats, a killer stereo system and an iPod loaded with music, local art and most excitingly of all, what looks like a huge leather trunk, that opens up transformer-style to reveal an enormous fully-stocked minibar fridge complete with a whole host of freshly-made scrumptious snacks.
All food and drink is included in the price at Song Saa, so with no fear of a runaway minibar bill, we popped the cork on a bottle of Prosecco and wandered outside to explore the deck.
Squealing over our beautiful infinity pool, we scrambled down a poolside flight of steps and dove straight into that mouthwash-blue sea.
Splashing around with the fish is thirsty work, so after a couple of laps, there was nothing for it but a little post-swim rehydration and a dose of fashion nourishment...
And this spot is picture perfect spot is pretty much where I stayed, sipping on Prosecco and nibbling on sashimi until the sun slunk below the horizon.
Which meant that it was time to jump into a bath-salt laced, candlelit bath with a gin & tonic in hand, to soak away the seasalt and suncream and get ready for the evening ahead.
During the day, a scroll had mysteriously appeared tucked under the door handle of our room. On unfurling it, we discovered an invitation to dinner at the Driftwood Bar together with a mouthwatering preview of the six-course Thai menu that would be served up there that evening. Each night we'd be invited to a new location around the island from one of the resorts' two restaurants to a table for two on the beach and even, on our last night, a table by our very own pool. The ever-changing dining locations were matched by a myriad array of menus from local Khmer cuisine to wood-fired pizzas (which if we'd closed our eyes, we'd have sworn were made in Naples, not a teeny tiny Cambodian island).
Talking of food, I should probably mention the breakfasts. A decadant affair comprised of pretty much anything and everything you could ever dream of. We generally kept it low key and stuck with a modest breakfast banquet of coffees and juices, fruit and eggs, pancakes and a casual heap of passionfruit french toast.
I think my face says it all....
The next few days drifted by in a blur of sumptuous meals, Prosecco-soaked sunbaking and snoozy afternoons stretched out on a pair of sun loungers that magically appeared on our deck minutes after we called reception to request them.
When we weren't lying supine devouring great reads on our Kindles, we were off exploring our teeny, tiny island home...
...stumbling upon new places to eat more food and drink a couple more cocktails...
... hanging out at the big pool...
...getting zen at the spa...
... and cramming in a little water-based activity here and there in a bid to work off all that french toast...
We were staying slap bang in the middle of rainy season, which meant a couple of storms that cracked and thundered like they'd been created by an Oscar-winning special effects team, but that just created the perfect opportunity for a picture in the pool with one of the rather photogenic Song Saa umbrellas...
And maybe best of all, after a storm, you're pretty much guaranteed a phenomenal back-drop for your sundowners...
Sitting on a driftwood swing, watching the burning ball of Cambodian sun sink below the inky hills on our final night was the most perfect end to four days in paradise.
The next day, the island shrunk to a minuscule dot as we zipped back to reality on the speedboat and wound our watches away from Song Saa time. I'd have definitely dissolved into a puddle of tears if it hadn't been for the fact that we had one final stop on our Cambodia itinerary - a night in Phnom Penh. And, I'll be back with that final instalment of our Khmer adventures next time I need a little wanderlust to brighten up my week (which I imagine won't be very long at all).
